- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Cassell Illustrated (2 Dec 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0304352098
- ISBN-13: 978-0304352098
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.5 x 1.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 812,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
We have survived the potential hazards of the beginning of the new millennium but as Bill Maguire reminds us we survive on planet Earth purely by geological consent. Over the last few thousand years the Earth has been remarkably quiet--geologically speaking, and has dealt none of the literally Earth-shattering blows of which she is capable.
This might seem an odd statement, considering the vast numbers of people that have been killed over this period by natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and tidal waves. However, we are living on borrowed time according to Bill Maguire, a professor at University College, London. As an expert in geo-hazards, he should know. As Maguire's Apocalypse shows, the geological record of Earth history has been interrupted constantly by cataclysmic events, often with magnitudes far greater than anything experienced within human history.
Maguire explains the science behind these normal but infrequent geological events. He blends them with a judicious mixture of fictionalised glimpses of their impacts in human terms. Very effectively and scarily, he pictures the effects of a huge volcanic eruption in America's Yellowstone National Park, a major giant wave (tsunami) swamping Atlantic islands from the Bahamas to the Azores, a magnitude 8 earthquake hitting Tokyo and a 1km rocky fragment crashing into the English Channel--all reasonable geo-hazard scenarios. This is not just scaremongering but designed to encourage the scientific study of geo-hazard prediction and management. We are lucky to be living in relatively quiet geological times. Let us hope that it stays this way until the scientists improve their predictive skills. --Douglas Palmer
Product Description
A discussion of natural disasters which modern society must expect to face in the not too distant future. Each is capable of causing unprecedented disruption to our current cosy way of life. The work provides the reader with the background scientific information needed to understand the phenomena and their effects. This is supplemented by dramatic descriptions of the devastating impact of the catastrophes on society and on the planet itself. The four main sections cover the four likely causes of global catastrophe: volcanoes; earthquakes; tidal waves; and meteoric collisions. There is also a section on how to access relevant information on the Internet.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
We're living on an unstable planet,
By jpandrews@myrealbox.com (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Apocalypse: A Natural History of Global Disasters (Paperback)
Its clear from the geological record that the history of life on Earth has been punctuated with dramatic and drastic changes in the global climate.In this book, Bill McGuire, gives a vivid account of four types of extreme natural disaster, supervolcanic eruption, tsunami (wrongly called tidal waves in English), catastrophic earthquake and cometary or asteriodal impact, all of which have plentiful precendents in Earth's history, and presents an entirely plausible account of the disastrous consequences in global climate, the resultant human and biosphere changes and even the consequences to the global economy.Bill McGuire writes wittily and with style. He brings a grim sense of humour together with a zest for geology and geophysics, which manages to translate what could be a dry recollection of past geological events into an exciting and fascinating dialogue.My favourite(!) disaster concerns the tsunami hazard posed by a little known volcano in the Canary Islands. I'll be watching the news very carefully for news about the Cumbre Viejo volcano from now on!Not quite five star material. I agree with the previous reviewer that some chapters were a little short of material. A few more diagrams and photographs wouldn't go amiss either.All in all, an excellent book of science and serious scientific speculation. Recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An intriguing look at how Mother Nature might wipe us out!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Apocalypse: A Natural History of Global Disasters (Paperback)
A very well written narrative that explains the processes of nature in leymans terms. The author's explaination on the formation and lifeline of volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunami and the inevitable asteriod smashing into our humble rock are easy to follow and show just how fragile a relationship we have with Mother Nature. I would have given it 5 stars, but the four apocalypse scenarios were a bit short and needed a bit more detail.
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
In the wake of Sumatra quake and Indian Ocean tsunami,
By A Customer
This review is from: Apocalypse: A Natural History of Global Disasters (Paperback)
As I write, the day after Xmas 2004, the satellite news channels are constanly running the mind-numbing footage of the devastation from the worst earthquake in modern history with 11,000 dead from tsunamis; numbers still climbing. At the same time a 400 meter "near-earth object" aka an asterioid, passed within spitting distance on Xmas Day (see gov site http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news146.html) Except for a few specific details like where and when the quake and asteroid would hit, these very real events give total credence to "Apocalypse: A Natural History of Global Disasters."So, now what do we do? Nowhere to run.
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